💜Better Than Revenge💜 by Kasie West

Rating: 4⭐️

Finley’s had one goal, to make the schools senior podcast team, but when her football player boyfriend Jensen decides to try out and takes her spot, she decides to plot for revenge. She enlists Theo, who is a Kicker for the school football team and Jensen’s rival, to teach her how to kick to steal his spot on the football team. Along the way, the two develop an unlikely friendship, but maybe there’s more there. This book is such a cute YA read with an interesting and engaging plot line. I loved the characters and their personalities and I loved that this felt realistic to actual high school drama and friendships. Overall a great read!

Thank you to Delacorte Romance and Netgalley for this E-Galley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children’s | Delacorte Romance for providing me with an eARC of Better Than Revenge by Kasie West in exchange for my honest review.

I absolutely LOVE Kasie West’s books! At 42 years old, I’m far from the target demographic for her YA contemporary romances, but every one of her stories draws me in and leaves me wanting more. Better Than Revenge is no exception—in fact, it might just be my new favorite of hers.

West does a fantastic job developing her main characters, Finley and Theo. I found myself deeply invested in their journeys, even crying halfway through as I empathized with everything Finley was going through. Finley is a determined and ambitious character with a clear goal: to become a famous podcaster. She’s been working toward this dream since her freshman year, and as she enters her senior year, she’s thrilled to finally have the chance to host her school’s podcast.

But her excitement is crushed when her boyfriend, on a whim, auditions for the same position—and gets it. Heartbroken and furious, Finley hatches a plan to give her now-ex a taste of his own medicine: she decides to take his spot as the football team’s kicker, with the unlikely help of Theo, the current kicker and her ex’s sworn enemy. What follows is a compelling and emotional journey as Finley grapples with the consequences of revenge and learns how it impacts not only herself but those around her.

The story also features a touching subplot involving Finley’s grandmother that pulls at all the heartstrings.

I sincerely hope my daughter finds someone like Theo when she’s in high school—his character is genuinely sweet and so supportive. If you’re a fan of YA contemporary romance, this book is a must-read, as is the rest of Kasie West’s backlist.

I was blessed enough to be granted am ARC of this book from the publisher through netgalley, and even though I have loved many stories from Kasie west in the past, this is probably one of my favorites. I love her friend group and Theo is wonderful. Hated Jenson and how he never seemed to pay for his crap. Loved the story of her grandmother and Andrew also. Just so sweet.

#BetterThanRevenge #netgalley

Wow wow wow!!! I have been loving YA romances lately and this one was fantastic!! I love the premise of everything, the characters were so fun and enjoyable. This is 100% age appropriate and perfect for middle schoolers/high schoolers! Such a fun easy ready! Will definitely be reading more from this author!

Such a quick, enjoyable read!

Kasie West is quintessential YA. She strikes a nice balance between YA tone and maturity that still works for an adult reader. I really enjoyed the concept of the book... and the lesson learned. The characters were fun. The setting is dream high school location. The relationship issues--both friendships and romantic--would be very relatable to the average teenager.

What a fantastic YA romance. I was INSTANTLY drawn into the characters and the drama between Finley and Jensen. I loved the interweaving of Finley’s grandma’s love story and how that played into everything. I reallllly enjoyed this book! I haven’t read anything by Kasie before, but I’m a fan!!

Finley is a junior in high school, and hoping to get onto the school podcast team so that she can hopefully get an internship which will lead to college scholarships. She's even given up playing soccer with best friend Deja so that she can focus her efforts on this. Her boyfriend, Jensen, is a football player, and helps her prep for the audition... but ends up stealing her ideas and beating her out for the place! She's devastated, and feels like he has ruined her podcasting dreams. She and her friends plot ways to get back at him, including phoning his boss at work and complaining about him, but she decides the best course of action is to date his nemesis on the football team, Theo, and try out for the team as a placekicker. After finding Theo to be nicer than she imagined, she gets him to coach her, which makes the process fairly easy. Her grandmother is slowly being enveloped by Alzheimers, so Finley has a podcast where she interviews her grandmother about her memories of growing up in their beach community in the 1960s. She finds out that her grandmother surfed, and not only knew a local artist, but dated him. Finley tries to hunt down her grandmother's surfboard, that was painted by the artist, while she practices place kicking and falls for Theo. Will her plan to ruin Jensen's life work out, and will the revenge be as sweet as she imagines?
Strengths: West does a fantastic job of writing romances with high school characters that also appeal to middle school students. This was a good sneak peek at some of the activities and drama that exists in high school, and Finley has a strong family life, plenty of interests, and career aspirations. While we don't really find out Jensen's motivation for grabbing the podcasting position out from under her, it sets up a good rivalry. Theo is sweet, and sees Finley as an equal; even the football coach doesn't flinch at the idea of Finley being the kicker. West has a good message (that she mentions in the afterword) that karma > revenge, and there's a nice conclusion. My favorite part was hearing about the grandmother's life, and Finley realizing that her grandmother was once her age.
Weaknesses: Finley and her friends have some fairly mean spirited ideas to get back at Jensen, but I would have liked to know more about his motivations. If he was as equally mean spirited, I wouldn't have blamed Finley for carrying through with some of these, but she ends up backing off. I find it impossible to believe that podcasting is a viable career option and that college programs are available, even though a brief internet search shows that this might be true.
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who like some drama with their romance and enjoyed Florence's Sweet and Sour or Hubbard's Fool Me Twice... how is that over ten years old already?

The book was enjoyable, similar to what I've come to expect from any Kasie West book. The piece that kept the book from being excellent was that the parents were pretty awful. The fact that they wanted her to accommodate them rather than putting her first was very frustrating. It was never discussed later and there was no apology/accountability on the parents end. Left a sour taste in my mouth. Other that that the book was great!

Title: Better Than Revenge
Author: Kasie West
Genre: Romance, YA
Tropes: sports romance, high school romance, friends to lovers
Format: eARC
Rating: 4 Stars

Summary:
Finley, our FMC is determined and goes after what she wants. Her dream has always been to be a podcast creator. Leading up to her audition, Finley trustingly discloses her perfect ideas to her boyfriend, Jensen. On a whim, Jensen auditions, proposing Finley’s idea and wins the coveted podcast spot. A heartbroken Finley, together with her best friends, brainstorm the best way to seek revenge. Finley discovers a knack for kicking and vows to get payback by stealing something Jenson love from him, his kicker spot on the football team. Even better, she enlists Jensen’s rival to train her.

Thoughts:
I enjoyed this fun, light, fast, easy read. There were many sweet moments, and I especially enjoyed Finley’s relationship with her grandmother. The banter and romance were cute, and I liked the development of Finley and Theo’s relationship. I also liked that Finley leaned an important life lesson in the end.

Great for readers who are looking for a light, cute, YA romance with enough witty banter to keep you hooked! This book is available on December 31, 2024

Thank you to Kasie West and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this eARC in exchange for my honest review. Reviews posted to NetGalley and GoodReads.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Children's | Delacorte Romance for allowing me to read this e-arc early.This book is an adorable and thoroughly enjoyable read.

Kasie West is back at it again with another fun, feel-good romance, and *Better Than Revenge* does not disappoint! This book is the perfect blend of high school drama, clever revenge plots, swoony romance, and a touch of heartfelt history.

Finley is such a relatable and determined main character. Her dream of becoming a podcaster feels so fresh and modern, and when her *ex* (ugh, Jensen) steals her pitch to snag the podcast spot she’s been working toward, you can’t help but feel her frustration. Honestly, I was rooting for her revenge from the start—because who does that to their girlfriend? But what I loved about Finley is that she’s not just fueled by pettiness. She grows so much throughout the story, learning to focus on her own goals rather than just tearing Jensen down.

And then there’s Theo. Oh, Theo. Kasie West never misses when it comes to love interests, and Theo is no exception. He’s cocky, charming, and surprisingly sweet, making him the perfect foil to Finley’s tunnel-vision focus on revenge. Their banter is top-tier, and the way their relationship evolves from reluctant teammates to something more is completely swoon-worthy. Plus, Theo has his own baggage, which adds some depth to his character and makes their connection even more meaningful.

One of my favorite parts of the book was the touch of history with Finley’s grandmother’s love story becoming the focus of her personal podcast. It added so much depth and heart to the story, showing a sweet parallel between past and present while giving Finley the push she needed to figure out what really matters in love and life. The generational perspective made the story feel richer and gave a fresh twist to Finley’s dream of becoming a podcaster.

The football angle was such a fun twist! Watching Finley step out of her comfort zone and learn to kick (both literally and figuratively) made her journey so satisfying. I loved how it wasn’t just about revenge or romance but also about her figuring out what she’s capable of and standing up for herself.

As always, West nails the balance of humor, heart, and those moments that make you want to clutch the book to your chest. The revenge plot had me laughing at all the creative (and chaotic) ways Finley and her friends tried to get back at Jensen, but the book also touched on themes like self-worth, ambition, what it really means to chase your dreams.

I loved this book. The characters were complex and interesting. I loved the overall message of the book, that revenge isn't all it's cracked up to be. I adored the relationship between Finley and her grandma. I loved how Finley's Grandma's experiences were a little foreshadowing to her own. There are so many sweet moments in this book. This is my first book by Kasie West but it will definitely not be my last.

Thank you so much to Delacorte Romance and NetGalley for the ARC!

Kasie West, I just love you. This book was so perfect. I loved every minute of it. I'll be honest, I wanted to read this book because it has a Taylor Swift song as the title. But I stayed for the story and for the characters. This book was so much freaking fun. I am obsessed with the revenge on your awful ex-boyfriend trope and Kasie West blew it out of the park. It was so well done. I love seeing awful men get the karma that they deserve.

I also loved the cast of characters so much. I loved Finley's ambition and passion. I also loved her heart. Her relationship with her grandma was so tender and pure. I also loved Finley's friends. They were so supportive and funny and really added to the story. And Theo. Wow, I adore him. He was so kind and cute. He was so good to and for Finley. I had so much fun watching their romance develop. It wasn't forced and it wasn't cheesy, it felt very genuine. I really liked all the aspects of this book and how they weaved together to make the perfect book.

If you need a super cute romance with a cast of characters so full of heart, this book is for you. You won't regret picking it up.

I am a fan of many of Kasie Wests’ books. She keeps her content PG, which is hard to find in YA fiction. I have recommended her books to some teens I know and they have enjoyed them and reread many of them. I have reread a few myself. This one will not be one of those. Every book has some kind of moral dilemma or problem that must be faced and resolved, but the problem in this book felt petty, shallow and way too easy to predict. There were also two characters in this book that felt like “token” characters, meant to check off a box that apparently all editors or authors have to fulfill these days and it felt forced and unnecessary. Because of this I won’t be recommending this book.

This was fun but I think it had a little trouble connecting all of the little parts. Maybe if it was a bit longer then the friends could have been a bigger part and fit in better. Overall though, Theo and Finley were cute.

I received an arc through netgalley.

I'm a firm believer in reading YA even as an adult and I really enjoyed Better Than Revenge by Kasie West. Thanks to NetGalley and Delacorte Romance/Random House Children's for the advance copy!

here’s nothing sweeter than revenge, is there?

I thoroughly enjoyed the latest from Kassie West.

Finley is a perfectionist who practically has her whole life together. A podcast of her own, a football stud of a boyfriend, and a friend group that cherishes her every move.

But that didn’t stop the bad from effecting her, aka, Jensen stealing her podcasting spot that she’s been dreaming of for YEARS! So what does Finley do? She teams up with Theo, starting football kicker and Jensen’s nemesis, to make a revenge plan.

Read the book to find out the rest 😉

Jensen was a real tool-bag. He came off as being very self-centered and arrogant. I was a little cautious of Theo (because of what Jensen’s character portrayed him as), but I fell in love with him. He seemed to really lookout for Finley, helping her with football, and giving her grandma the closure she needed with Andrew Lancaster.

Title: Better Than Revenge
By: Kasie West
Pub. Date: December 31, 2024

Genre:
Fiction, Young Adult/Middle Grade, Romance, Drama

Trigger Warnings:
Loss, Grief, Dishonesty,

Recommended Age:
7th - adult

Summary/Review:
Finley has waited years for the opportunity to be a podcaster for her high school, and is thrilled to finally have the chance to become her high school's podcaster. She comes prepared with a few pitches on how to elevate the podcasts including kicking some ideas around with her boyfriend Jensen. However, Jensen betrays Finely in a way only the star of the football team can, and now Finley seeks revenge in the best way she knows how.

Better Than Revenge is a fast paced, young adult, clean romance. This novel captivates readers with its relatable characters and a plot-driven narrative that draws readers in from the very first page. While the central theme of seeking revenge on a boy may feel familiar for this age group, the story offers compelling twists that explore not just anger and betrayal but also forgiveness, hope, and the journey toward self-discovery. The overarching themes of belonging, staying true to yourself, and believing in who you are make this novel an essential read for secondary students. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and can’t wait to add it to my secondary library!

Thank you to Kasie West, Random House Children’s, and NetGalley for the Advanced Readers Copy for free. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

#BetterThanRevenge
#KasieWest
#RandomHouseChildren’s
#reluctantreaderreads
#advancedreadercopies
#NetGalley

I read the first two chapters of this book and LOVED it, that's why it disappointed me so much to have to DNF it at the third chapter because of content.

Content: gay couple and a reference to a bad word, all in the third chapter. That's when I stopped reading. 😭😭😭

Thank you for Netgalley and Delacorte Romance for providing me this ARC.

What a sweet, fun, creative, and honest romance book! Theo and Finley were awesome main characters who had very raw and real insecurities. It definitely reminds me of “I’ll Give You The Sun”. The sub plot of the grandma and Andrew was so so sweet, and Theo was ADORABLE I FREAKING CANT.

I really loved how Finley grew throughout the story, and how at the end she owned up to her mistakes and was able to truly see what mattered to her. I loved seeing Jensen finally get some revenge thrown his way (it’s about freaking time)!!

Theo and Finley had GREAT banter, and I loved the friendships and diversity that were shown in this book! It was awesome!